Chelsea most expensive signings: Which midfielder still holds the British transfer record?

Who are the most expensive signings Chelsea have ever made? We take you through the current top five, including players that remain at Stamford Bridge to this day.

Chelsea most expensive signings: The top 5

1. Moises Caicedo – £115m

The Blues hold the British transfer record after signing defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo from Brighton and Hove Albion for £115m in August 2023.

Caicedo was plucked from relative obscurity, joining Brighton directly from Ecuadorian Serie A side Independiente del Valle in 2021.

Such is the price that took him to Stamford Bridge two years later, after a breakthrough 2022/23 campaign, he epitomises Brighton’s coveted reputation for shrewd scouting and selling at great profit more than anyone.

Despite the hype, Chelsea generally struggled at times in the Premier League during 2023/24, finishing sixth and precipitating another summer of frantic activity.

As such, it is still too early for Chelsea to say with confidence that they have finally managed to permanently fill the hole left behind by box-to-box midfield wizard N’Golo Kante, who won successive Premier League titles in 2016 and 2017, with Leicester and Chelsea respectively.

However, it is high praise indeed that Caicedo should be compared to Kante by former Chelsea midfielder and Champions League winner John Obi Mikel, as happened in the aftermath of the West Londoners’ 3-0 victory at West Ham in September 2024.

Speaking to Talksport, Mikel said Caicedo was “Not just breaking up play, trying to link-up play as well, passing, everything”. He added later: “He's absolutely fantastic, I watched him there, he was everywhere. It's a bit like a Kante kind of performance”.

Caicedo has been a regular at Stamford Bridge, and that seems unlikely to change any time soon, but he is perhaps yet to justify such a hefty price tag, given that he is awaiting his first major honours with the club.

2. Enzo Fernandez – £106.8m

Fernandez was a fan favourite among Chelsea supporters, given his tenacity and determination in the middle of the park, which saw him win the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina in Qatar.

But that changed somewhat in July 2024, when a video of him and his teammates chanting racist songs towards French people was leaked to social media, in the aftermath of their 16th Copa America triumph.

His Chelsea teammates – several being French themselves – reacted with dismay. Wesley Fofana went public with his feelings, and though Fernandez issued an apology, there will always be a cloud surrounding his Stamford Bridge legacy.

On the pitch, Fernandez has impressed with some of his performances with the Blues, but with no major honours won for the club so far, he too is yet to justify his huge price tag.

3. Romelu Lukaku – £97.5m

Lukaku has had a love/hate relationship with the Premier League ever since he was sold as a relative youngster to Everton, immediately after a very successful 2013/14 season on loan at Goodison Park.

Overall, he was a great asset for the Toffees, but the pulling power of Manchester United was too much for him to resist in the summer of 2017.

It did not quite work out for him at Old Trafford though. And neither did he enjoy his second spell at Stamford Bridge, which began four years later. He netted just eight goals in 26 league appearances after rejoining the SW6 side for nearly £100m.

That arguably makes him a classic big-time ‘flop’, but Chelsea’s outlandish expenditure wasn’t without justification, as the Belgian had bagged 47 goals in 72 Serie A appearances with Inter Milan across the preceding two campaigns.

Overall, it is safe to say that Serie A seems to fit Lukaku’s solid but ageing frame, compensated for well by deadly finishing. He once again managed double figures in the league (10) when returning to Inter in 2022, before a further-improved haul of 13 goals in 32 league appearances for Roma in 2023/24.

He currently plies his trade for Napoli, with goals in his first two games for the club providing early signs of promise.

4. Mykhaylo Mudryk – £88.5m

Chelsea swept under the noses of Premier League and London rivals Arsenal to sign Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk, in a deal that could be worth up to £88.5m including add-ons.

It is safe to say that those add-ons do not look like they will be met anytime soon, as Mudryk is another player who has largely failed to impress at Stamford Bridge.

Indeed, just five goals in 31 appearances for the club during 2023/24 was hardly inspiring, and he has looked a little lightweight in the Premier League.

However, there is still room for improvement, and the more forgiving calibre of opposition in the UEFA Conference League provides an excellent opportunity for him to get some more regular starts under his belt.

5. Kai Havertz – £75.8m

Havertz is perhaps the most successful name on this list given the cheaper price tag, but the German international’s spell at Chelsea was still largely underwhelming.

He only managed to score a mere 32 goals in a total of 139 appearances over all competitions, although one of them was the winner in the 2021 UEFA Champions League final against Manchester City, where the Blues won 1-0.

Havertz was sold to Arsenal last summer for £65m, and here in 2024 we have started to see glimpses of the quality that he showed while at Bayer Leverkusen before his move to Chelsea.